Woman Who Plowed Through Cyclists in '93 May Soon Be Freed / State hospital releases her back to Contra Costa for psychological review

Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PST, Friday, December 4, 1998

Dory Selinger, 27, (right) lost his right leg from the knee down when Linda Ann Scate deliberately drove through eight cyclists on Danville Blvd in Alamo six years ago this January killing one boy and injuring several others. Bruno Schull, 25 (left) and Abel Eisentraut, 28, who were two of the other cyclists involved said they would like to see Scate stand trial for murdering their friend. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PHOTO BY KAT WADE less

Dory Selinger, 27, (right) lost his right leg from the knee down when Linda Ann Scate deliberately drove through eight cyclists on Danville Blvd in Alamo six years ago this January killing one boy and injuring ... more

Photo: KAT WADE

Photo: KAT WADE

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Dory Selinger, 27, (right) lost his right leg from the knee down when Linda Ann Scate deliberately drove through eight cyclists on Danville Blvd in Alamo six years ago this January killing one boy and injuring several others. Bruno Schull, 25 (left) and Abel Eisentraut, 28, who were two of the other cyclists involved said they would like to see Scate stand trial for murdering their friend. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PHOTO BY KAT WADE less

Dory Selinger, 27, (right) lost his right leg from the knee down when Linda Ann Scate deliberately drove through eight cyclists on Danville Blvd in Alamo six years ago this January killing one boy and injuring ... more

Photo: KAT WADE

Woman Who Plowed Through Cyclists in '93 May Soon Be Freed / State hospital releases her back to Contra Costa for psychological review

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1998-12-04 04:00:00 PDT WALNUT CREEK -- A delusional Walnut Creek woman who said voices urged her to mow down one cyclist and run over seven others in 1993 is now ready to return to society, state mental health experts say.

Linda Scates, 45, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1993, left San Bernardino's Patton State Hospital on Monday after doctors determined that she is mentally stable enough for outpatient treatment. She is now in custody at the County Jail in Martinez and faces a further medical review by county psychologists during the next two weeks.

But the suggestion that Scates, who has a long history of mental illness, could be freed just five years after her crimes has outraged her victims and their families.

"She was supposed to never be released," said Stephanie Bianco, whose 22-year-old son, Vladimir Quinn, was killed when Scates ran him down with her car as he was pedaling through Alamo on Jan. 16, 1993. "It's frightening that they would let her back out on the street."

On that day, Scates, driving north on Danville Boulevard, pulled up behind a group of eight cyclists, including Quinn and Oakland resident Dory Selinger, who were riding in a marked bike lane. Witnesses reported hearing her gun the engine of her Ford Escort before she shifted into passing gear and plowed into the unsuspecting riders.

According to court records, Scates was driving to the office of her doctor, whom she suspected of implanting a tracking device in her. She later told police a voice had urged, "Get the demons, get the demons."

Of the survivors, Selinger was the worst injured, suffering brain damage and losing his right leg below the knee. After a lengthy recovery, he became a gold medal winner in national and world Paralympics cycling. And until yesterday, when a reporter called, Scates had been a distant, if painful, memory.

"She's somebody I haven't thought about for a long time," Selinger said.

Scates has a tragic past of her own. In 1987, she was committed to Patton State Hospital on assault and vandalism charges, just two years after her husband was killed by a psychotic female driver.

"She's done this twice and now she's going to be let out? What does she need, three strikes, to be kept in?" Selinger asked. "This is not the way to spend our tax money. It's not proper."

Doctors at Patton State were unavailable for comment. Court records show that as recently as March psychiatrists concluded that Scates was not ready for outpatient release.

"The treatment team believes Ms. Scates needs to demonstrate a longer period of stability without major psychotic episodes and display greater insight into her mental illness before she would be considered appropriate for a less restrictive environment," a mental evaluation report stated.

The report also noted that Scates had made significant progress and worked well at a janitorial job at the hospital. Scates declined an interview request yesterday. Her attorney, Bill Gagen, conceded that he had not expected her to be recommended for release so soon.

"For her sake, I'm pleasantly surprised," Gagen said.

County mental health experts will now have to decide whether Scates is ready for placement in a board-and-care or group home. Doctors with Contra Costa's Conditional Release Program are expected to report to Judge Michael Coleman in time for a December 16 hearing.

Alexandra Cons, a county psychologist, said it is common for local mental health experts to consult with state hospitals on criminally insane patients. And in most cases, the county will agree with a recommendation for release from a hospital.

"But our mandate is community safety," Cons said. "We can put people in the state hospital so fast it would make your head spin."

If Scates is released to an outpatient program, she would be subject to strict monitoring, with at least two visits a week from authorities and regular urine tests to ensure that she is taking anti-psychotic medication.

Prosecutors are prepared to argue that Scates should remain in custody. But Contra Costa Deputy District Attorney John Cope said there is little he can do to prevent her release if local doctors and those in San Bernardino agree that she has regained her sanity.

"If everyone accepts that she's ready for it, than that's what they'll do," Cope said. "But it's not like she's free and not regulated."

Cope said only about 10 percent of patients in the conditional release program are repeat offenders, a far better record than state prison parolees.

Still, for those victimized by Scates' madness, the idea of her freedom is an insult.

"Five years for murder, that's not bad," Albert Eisentraut said sarcastically. Eisentraut's two sons were injured and he built the custom frames the cycling team was using that day. In his Oakland shop, hang the two bikes that belonged to Selinger and Quinn.

Meanwhile, Selinger -- who spent more than a year in therapy -- is training for the Sydney 2000 Paralympics and plans to return to the University of California at Berkeley next year to resume his undergraduate academic career cut short by Scates.